Spring

VEGGIE NAAN'WICH WITH FETA CHICKPEA MASH

Sara Forte · June 19, 2013

I worked at a deli for a short season during college. I suppose it was my first job making food for people, though I'd had a number of other jobs prior. I would go between classes and on the weekends, I liked people and the hustle of the lunch hour, and how hard could it be to whip together a sandwich? The deli was known for having these perfectly soft baguettes for sandwiches, a few of the specials were made on sliced bread, but those baguettes were why people came in. None of the sandwiches were particularly ecentric or creative, but the simple art of a good sandwich is getting the ratio of fillings correct. Here in also lies personal preference. I like lots of mustard or sauce, if there is mayo, I don't really want to see it, but I can appreciate it's moisture contribution. The owner of the deli taught me to take the rib out of the lettuce so the lettuce layer is even and consistent, and also that more filling is not always better. I agree with that. You've got to be able to get your mouth around it without a gigantic mess, especially since a number of sandwich eaters are on the go or sitting on a bench. I don't remember a lot of details about that job, or what exactly I took from it, but getting your sandwich just right is like how someone takes their coffee. Little tweaks but usually you know what you like.

This is a recent veggie sandwich that pushes beyond the sprouts, avocado, lettuce, tomato limits. It folds over like a taco, but we're going to call it a sandwich anyway. I would consider it pretty simple, especially if you opt to purchase the naan instead of make your own. There is a creamy component, almost like a rustic hummus of sorts, a crunchy, raw vegetable, a hint of acid from the onions and the bits of feta that are bold enough to make the whole naan'wich a real treat. It's tough to give exact amounts here, but the fun of a sandwich is to make it as you wish. Hugh likes his with extra sriracha, I like easy onions, triple greens. Here's to a little something different for lunch either way.

VEGGIE NAAN'WICH WITH FETA CHICKPEA MASH // makes 4 sammys with a few extra naan

The chickpea mixture could be made in advance and kept covered in the fridge. If you need a GF option, I would stuff these items in a charred brown rice tortilla and just fold it in half.

// Naan //

Naan recipe adapted from Indian Simmer

2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup of warm milk
1/2 cup of yogurt
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
ghee or coconut oil

Mix all the dry ingredients together and make a well in the center.

Mix milk and yogurt together and pour half of it into the well and slowly combine it together.

Add the remaining liquid slowly and combine it all together slowly until a soft dough is made. The dough should be soft and tender.If dough sticks to your hand, use little bit of oil.

Cover with damp cloth and let it sit in a warm place for at least 2 hours.

Preheat a heavy bottomed, seasoned skillet or cast iron. Add a slick of ghee or coconut oil. Flour your work surface and knead the dough a few times, working in the minced garlic. Divide the dough into 6 to 8 pieces depending how large you'd like your sandwiches. Roll them out into a thin, oblong shape. Brush one side with water and add it to the pan, damp side down. Cook for about one minute until it browns, flip and cook the other side for another couple minutes. Brush the warm bread with a thin layer of ghee or coconut oil and a pinch of salt. Repeat with remaining dough. Keep covered with a dish cloth until ready to prepare the sandwiches.

2 cups cooked chickpeas
giant handful of chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons tahini paste
zest and juice of one small lemon
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup crumbled sheep's milk feta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
fresh ground pepper

1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 carrots, thinly peeled with a peeler
3 cups sprouts of greens of choice
extra virgin olive oil
sriracha for spice, if needed

Rinse and drain the chickpeas. In a food processor, give the beans and cilantro a few quick pulses -just to rough them up, you don't want a paste. I'm talking like 2 to 3 pulses. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the tahini, lemon juice and zest, pinch of red pepper flakes, feta, olive oil and lots of fresh ground pepper. Smash to blend. Add a tiny splash of water if needed.

Combine the onion and vinegar in a bowl with a pinch of salt and toss with your fingers to coat just to soften them a bit. Set up your assembly with the carrot ribbons, vinegared onions and greens. Make each sandwich with a hearty swipe of the chickpea mash, a generous layer of onions, carrots, greens. Drizzle the vegetables with a bit of olive oil and your hot sauce on the side as needed.

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Dessert, Spring, Summer

CHERRY ALMOND GALETTE

Sara Forte · June 9, 2013

"Are you ready?" I asked Matt. He and I have intermittent conversations about his life. I feel like he trusts me, or at least respects me enough to tell me what's going on in his life despite us only seeing each other one or two days a week at work. As jobs go, I am the girl who goes in super shy - like, this girl is creepy-quiet shy. I observe and perceive, pick out the people I feel are reliable, good people, no drama and only then do I open up and show my colors. The sass comes through, I'll bust out my moves to Michael Jackson's Thriller when it pipes through the speakers, because I know you'll laugh (you = my trusted people). I am pleasant to everyone, but to the handful that I see will give back to me in conversation, I try to communicate that I care about them and want to hear about their story. Matt tells me about his life. Or as much as you can tell in the ten minutes here or there while we're working beside each other in a given shift. He's told me that he found the "little lady" (his words) he'd like to spend his life with, and how he now needs to figure out how to buy a ring. We talked rings, he worried a bit when someone told him the cliche, "It should be four months of your income." I told him that doesn't mean anything. Because I'm a ring whisperer? No. Because it doesn't mean anything. All I asked was if he was ready. "What?! What do I need to be ready for?!" he panicked.

I don't know that anyone can warn you for how complicated and humbling and broken and outrageously fun and sometimes dark and sharpening marriage is. Our struggles are different than what Matt and the little ladys' will be, but there will be some. It's built to be that way, the refining of ourselves by exposing weakness, building the other up, being torn down and doing it again to become better, truer, finer versions of us. Like a knife against stone, friction that yields a better product. Iron sharpening iron. Being known and loved... is it my place to prompt him of this? So, I just asked if he was ready, because really, I haven't figured it all out, but being ready or not is all you need to know. You say yes to fighting for this person. Everyday. Not how many thousands of dollars you have for a ring, my friend.

I appreciate new people, new perspective, new stories. It makes me intentional and aware about the things going on in my own life that sometimes fly by in routine.

On a completely unrelated note, this was my first time with a galette. I don't love pie crust - as a treat or making it. It's a little stressy to me. Keep all the ingredients super cold! Don't touch it too much! But I have had this on the brain for other crust loving people in my life. And because I think they look rustically gorgeous. I like the cherry and almond pairing and tried to pull that through with the extract, but it is quite subtle. Even still, I wouldn't add more because too much extract doesn't really make it taste more almond-y, it just gets sort of bitter. The crust has a gentle yield to it from the bit of yogurt but there is still a nice crunch to the edge. The vanilla ice cream is not an optional ingredient here - I can't imagine this not a la mode, then again you're getting your report from an ice cream girl, not a crust girl so I'll leave that up to you.

CHERRY ALMOND GALETTE // Serves 6

A dough adaptation from Smitten Kitchen

I know the tool is only useful for a short season, but owning a cherry pitter for situations like this, fruit salad or cherry cocktails has been well worth it. I can't find the brand I own but this one has pretty good reviews.

3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup spelt flour
1 Tbsp. natural cane sugar
1/2 tsp. sea salt
4 oz. / 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut in cubes
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. yogurt (I used goat yogurt, use what you have)
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 Tbsp. ice water
3 cups pitted cherries, about 1ish lbs.
pinch of salt
2 tsp. orange juice
1 Tbsp. unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
1/3 cup muscavado or natural cane sugar
1 egg
splash of water
turbinado sugar, optional
1 cup toasted almonds, chopped
vanilla bean ice cream, for serving

In a chilled bowl, combine the all purpose flour, spelt flour, salt and sugar and stir to combine. Working quickly, work the cold butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or tips of your fingers. Smush it until the butter is the size of small peas. In a small ramekin, mix the lemon juice, yogurt, extract and water and give it a stir to combine. Add it to the flour-butter bowl with your hands or a wooden spoon until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Pat it into a bowl, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least one hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400'. Prepare a parchment lined baking sheet. Halve about three quarters of the cherries, leaving some whole. Put them in a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt, orange juice, flour, nutmeg and muscavado and stir to combine.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the galette dough to a roughly 12'' circle. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Pile the cherry mixture in the center leaving a 2'' border around the circle. Fold the border towards the center, don't be afraid to pull in tight, it will settle. Pleating the dough to make it stick to each other. You don't want thick folds of dough, think more pinching. If it starts to feel room temperature, pop it back in the fridge or freezer for ten minutes.

Mix the egg and water together and brush it on the outer edges of the dough. Sprinkle it with turbinado sugar, if using. Bake the galette on the middle rack for 40-45 minutes until the edges are nice and brown. Time may vary depending on oven. Remove the galette (and parchment too if need be) to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving. Sprinkle half of the almonds on top of the cherries. Serve each wedge with a scoop of ice cream and another sprinkle of the almonds on top.

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Entrée, Gluten Free, Spring, Summer

SALMON SKEWERS WITH CUCUMBER YOGURT SAUCE

Sara Forte · May 28, 2013

A bit late to the party (as I often am with these things), I'm finally reading Cheryl Strayed's Tiny Beautiful Things. It is a collection of some of her letters and responses as a then-anonymous advice columnist. This won't be the last you'll hear me mention it - I'm in love with how she writes. So frank and forward but not the least bit insensitive. Hugh refers to it as a self-help book because he sees me passionately underlining particular lines. It is not a self-help book, but somehow you feel empowered and encouraged after some of the entries, which I suppose is helping oneself. There is this one entry where she is responding to a young, struggling writer. She talks about overriding limitiations by simply producing. You must continue to work. "You will feel insecure... How much power you give those feelings is entirely up to you." I am not at home pecking away at the next great work of fiction, but giving power to feelings of insecurity, is something anyone who does anything even the least bit challenging can relate to. I think what I love about these stories, is even though none of them are mine, they make me think. My other favorite, "There is no why. You don't have a right to the cards you believe you should have been dealt. You have an obligation to play the hell out of the ones you're holding." Seriously! So good. Between not giving power to insecurity and playing your own cards, I'm repeating these lines to every friend I've been talking to lately about troubleshooting life. We're all hurting and struggling and experiencing joy and intimacy and tenderness in the scope of our days - sharing our stories makes the whole of it pretty incredible.

So this salmon. That deep, rich, ruby color is Copper River Sockeye. Wild-caught Alaskan salmon is considered one of your "best choices" as far as sustainable fish from the Marine Stewardship Council. It actually has a season which runs late spring through summer, depending on the species in particular. I've been holding onto a few salmon recipes waiting for the good stuff. I'm intrigued to try slow roasting a large filet for a dinner party and would like to do some blackened in a taco. It's rich as far as fish goes, and I know salmon isn't for everyone, but if you can get your hands on some fresh stuff this time of year, you may be persuaded. I put some chunks on a skewer and drenched it in a cool cucumber sauce. Next time I think I'll add more veggies, maybe some onion and bell pepper, to stretch them even further. I know there are only a couple salmon recipes in the archives here, so I hope this adds an idea to your healthy/easy week night dinner repetoire.

SALMON SKEWERS WITH CUCUMBER YOGURT SAUCE // Serves 4

I served these with a bit of quinoa that I mixed with a splash of oil, vinegar, a few chopped scallions and a basic green salad. Didn't feel a recipe was needed for those. Some rice would be nice, or even some warm toasty pita. For the sake of time, I put these under the broiler. They would be excellent on the grill, but I would just suggest using one of those top grates and oil it well as fish seems to stick to the BBQ annoyingly easily.

I am still getting Meyer lemons from my mom's tree. If you can find them, use them here. The pith is much more pleasant to eat and they are sweeter in general. Add more vegetables or change them up according to your taste.

8 skewers
1 1/2 lbs. Wild Alaskan Salmon, skinned and deboned
2 zucchini
2 lemons, sliced very thin and seeded

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

// yogurt sauce //
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper
1/2 of a large english cucumber, roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
zest of one lemon
3 Tbsp. fresh dill
2 Tbsp. fresh mint leaves
1 cup full fat greek yogurt

Preheat your grill or broiler. Soak the skewers in water if using wooden/bamboo ones. Prepare a parchment lined baking sheet.

Cut the salmon into 2'' chunks, you want them similar in size to cook evenly. Slice the zucchini into thin coins. Layer your skewers with a piece of salmon, a slice of lemon (folded in half), and a chunk of zucchini. Repeat three times, depending on the size of your skewers, and lay them on the baking sheet. Repeat the process with remaining ingredients.

In a small bowl, mix the oil, lemon juice, maple, salt, paprika, Italian herbs and red pepper flakes. Give it a little mix and brush the oil mixture liberally onto all sides of the skewered goodies. Move a rack to the upper third of the oven and broil the skewers on the sheet for about 8 minutes until the edges just begin to brown and the salmon feels barely firm. Salmon is best under opposed to overdone, so keep an eye.

To prepare the sauce, whirl the garlic in a food processor. Add the salt, pepper, cucumber, zest and give it a few pulses to chop. Add the dill, mint and yogurt and give a few more pulses to combine. The texture should be a bit chunky. Transfer to a small bowl and serve along with the skewers and grain of choice.

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